Coffee Lab

Coffee Lab
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Business
  • Updated Monthly

Coffee Lab brings together hospitality industry leaders from Australia and around the world to share their stories and experiences.

  1. 1 day ago

    Joe Donoghue & Benjamin Dawe: Code, Culture & Coffee at The 3000s - From Game Developers to Creative Brand Builders

    How does a computer game studio end up making coffee? On the surface, The Three Thousands and Griffiths Bros might look like an unexpected collaboration. One is a Melbourne creative studio building computer games. The other is a coffee company with deep roots in roasting, hospitality and coffee culture. But the more you look at it, the more sense it makes. Games and coffee are both about experience. They’re both about culture. They’re both about energy, ritual, creativity and community. And for The Three Thousands, coffee is also part of a bigger story: how do you build a visible, culturally relevant brand when the thing you actually make can take years to build — and often can’t be talked about publicly? We’re very excited to welcome Joe Donoghue and Benjamin Dawe, Co-founders of The 3000s to the Coffee Lab!

    Joe Donoghue & Benjamin Dawe: Code, Culture & Coffee at The 3000s - From Game Developers to Creative Brand Builders

  2. 26 Apr

    Ross Scacco: Inside the culture of office coffee.

    S2E6 - Is office coffee in 2026 actually better than café coffee? If you’ve walked into a modern corporate office lately,you’ll know it’s no longer International Roast and a dusty kettle in the corner. Today’s workplace coffee is automated, data-driven,hospitality-level — and in some cases, outperforming traditional café setups in consistency and scale. So what happened? How did we go from click-clack machines in the 90s to fullyconnected coffee ecosystems that report back in real time? And what does this mean for the future of cafés, baristas,automation, and even workplace culture? Our guest today has played a big role in driving this change. We’re very excited to welcome Ross Scacco, Founder of Procaffe to the Coffee Lab.

    Ross Scacco: Inside the culture of office coffee.

  3. 12/12/2025

    Sam Taylor: Specialty coffee. Great customers. One shared journey.

    S2E5 - Sam Taylor is a bit of an industry legend in Australia. He’s journeyed from making his first coffees in a steakhouse to competing in and judging the biggest coffee competitions in the world. Today he heads up the coffee division at Soul Origin. With more than 150 locations Australia wide, they aspire to big things, with our guest leading the charge. We’re very excited to welcome Sam Taylor, Head of Coffee at Soul Origin to the Coffee Lab.

    Sam Taylor: Specialty coffee. Great customers. One shared journey.

  4. 04/12/2024

    Melissa Caia: From Melbourne cafes to judging on the world stage

    Mel Caia started working in her family’s café at a young age - probably too young, by her own admission. But young Mel Caia loved it. After a decade or so she took a break from the industry and started work as a coffee and gelato trainer at William Angliss Institute where she still teaches today. And then, in 2006 she got accredited to judge coffee competitions and has since adjudicated on dozens of national and international competitions, including the World Barista Championships. We’re very excited to welcome Melissa Caia to the Coffee Lab! Join the conversation - search "Coffee Lab podcast" on socials.

    Melissa Caia: From Melbourne cafes to judging on the world stage

  5. 04/12/2024

    Jack Eydlish: Generations of flavour

    S2E3 - Jack Eydlish initially trained as a pharmacist and has somehow ended up Joint General Manager of Maltra Foods, a proudly Australian-owned food and beverage contract manufacturing business. Maltra started in the mid 90s when Jack’s dad fortuitously partnered in a business providing drinking chocolate and chai powders to cafes around St Kilda. Today – 27 years later – Jack and his brother Roman run the business, which has over a hundred staff, manufactures thousands of products in Victoria and Queensland, and still caters to the café business but also partners with some of the world’s leading retail and food service businesses. We’re very excited to welcome Jack Eydlish, Joint General Manager of Maltra Foods to the Coffee Lab! Join the conversation - search "Coffee Lab podcast" on socials.

    Jack Eydlish: Generations of flavour

  6. 02/08/2024

    Andrew Baldry: Tips on flexible franchising

    S2E2 - Just to the northwest of Noosa in Queensland, lies the small town of Gympie, population a bit over 50 thousand. It’s a far cry from the big, bustling, coffee metropolis that is Melbourne, population 5 million, some 2000km to the south. But that’s the journey today’s guest made, and the culture shock was real. We’re very excited to welcome Andrew Baldry, General Manager of Coffee Wholesale at Degani Australia, to the Coffee Lab! Join the conversation - search "Coffee Lab podcast" on socials.

    Andrew Baldry: Tips on flexible franchising

  7. 02/08/2024

    Steve Plarre: How to keep a 120 year old business modern

    S2E1 - When your dad’s a baker, his crazy hours mean you don’t get to see much of him as a kid. Which is why as soon as they could, Steve and Mike Plarre joined their dad at the bakery. A couple of 7 or 8 year olds covered in flour, doing anything they could to get involved. Fast forward a few decades and one of them is now the CEO, the other is the General Manager of Production at Plarre Foods, more commonly known as Ferguson Plarre’s Bakehouses. We’re very excited to welcome Steve Plarre to the Coffee Lab! Join the conversation - search "Coffee Lab podcast" on socials.

    Steve Plarre: How to keep a 120 year old business modern

  8. 28/04/2023

    Nick Ferrara: Why happiness should be the only measure of success

    S1E6 - Nick Ferrara was born in Naples, Italy and studied engineering in Rome, before launching into a career in news publishing. He also worked with his mum in a not-for-profit aimed at dissuading young people from a life of organized crime, and at some point also started a wind farm with his mates. Then, with no real knowledge of English, and having never been on a plane before, he packed up and moved to Australia – a gutsy move. Today, he’s National Training Manager with one of the most recognizable names in coffee: Lavazza. We’re very excited to welcome Nick Ferrara to the Coffee Lab. Join the conversation - search "Coffee Lab podcast" on socials.

    Nick Ferrara: Why happiness should be the only measure of success
See All (13)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Coffee Lab brings together hospitality industry leaders from Australia and around the world to share their stories and experiences.

Information

  • Creator
    Coffee Lab
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Coffee Lab
  • Show Website
    Coffee Lab